Races - Syntek

Summary

Syntek, only recently acknowledged by a portion of humanity as something beyond property are striving to discover what it means to be free, living entities. They have nothing, and everything in common with humans it seems - with physical bodies that set them apart, but minds and some say souls that drive the most progressive forward.

These robotic self-determined men and women are the dawn of a new age in the history of mankind. At no other time has man given life to an entity wholly on the strength of technology.

Description

Syntek exist in almost every instance along-side humanity. For years early model synteks were used as the most human robotic unit and as time progressed their people-facing capabilities improved. More recent versions have seen rapid increases in functionality of early generation models.

Today, synteks as a race are false-skinned robotic units which have attained even a small level of sentience and seek a higher purpose. The levels of sentience in each units varies and some speculation exists as to where the cut-off should be with these units - how little sentience is necessary to allow some piece of property to walk off by its own power? The answers are not yet clear, although the Neo-Geneva Conventions are working towards an inclusive article to cover the emerging synteks.

Physical Appearance

A syntek is covered in artificial skin from head-to-toe, this receptor-heavy hide is capable of feeling pain just the same as human skin - albeit with a faster response time for signaling injury, pressure, and heat shifts. Each syntek is sculpted uniquely while in production and in recent years with synteks designing their own 'children' some have been crafted as twins or exact clones of their designer.

Beneath this layer of skin, on which hair even grows unnaturally, is the shell unit of the syntek - the core of the robotic being. Their internal skeleton is a light-weight carbon-weaved structure, both strong and flexible. These 'bones' are more lasting than human bones, not prone to wear or easily break - an important fact considering the cost involved with such repairs easily outpaces humanoid health-care.

Notable History

Created by Sennhieser Nanosystems (SN-droids).
Timeline:

• Aegis 9 - Gen1
• Impaired learning process
• Minimal programming
• Problems with organic tissue (couldn't keep fresh)
• Gen2
• Accelerated learning process
• Inhibitors applied to control units that failed
• Some units were lost track of
• Gen3
• Organic tissue problems solved
• First Gen3 made in the likeness of Dr. Worchester's daughter ("mother" of modern Senteks)
• Gen4
• Artificial aging process

Awakening

On a small scale Syntek had long been finding some small part of sentience, yet these anomalies were so rare that the units were normally seen as defective and quickly replaced. This period of makes modern Syntek lament such a loss of early thought. Yet the real surge of Awakening began on Ganymede with the rise of a weaponized computer virus that turned the infected Syntek against their human creators.

While the source of the virus is highly debated the results of the chain that followed are not. Some 22,000 Ganymede residents died as the Syntek rose up and adhering to the hostile code moved in rebellion. These Syntek eventually met with resistance and those that didn't escape early into the stars were destroyed at no small cost.

For those that escaped the painful haze of destruction that followed was for most a short lived experience as they met with their early demise. A smaller group of escapees became the truest forebears of the modern Syntek movement, these individuals were

Game Mechanics

Construct Traits

The Syntek do not have to eat, breathe, or sleep. They do not die of old age, however their parts and subsystems do wither with age after Gen4. Many aging effects are cosmetic, but additionally some subsystems wither or deteriorate over time, becoming cost-prohibitive to repair or replace.

They are not subject to fatigue, although they do require recharge cycles which vary by unit and model. (A feature partially lengthened to avoid wide-eyed Syntek waiting while mankind slept.)

Modular

Syntek are not all alike, like mankind they come in many varieties. Originating as service robots these beings are often keyed into specific roles. Syntek can modify their construction through the use of external parts, upgrades, and item add-ons. This modular nature has allowed older Syntek to stay up-to-date as well as allowed for their use to expand far beyond simple service.

Note: Syntek under the Neo-Geneva Conventions cannot be constructed with the specific designation of HK, Hunter-Killer.

Repairs

A Syntek does not heal. All Syntek possess artificial skin-structures that can self-mend small nicks and cuts with heat and pressure without seeking outside support or grafting. This smart-material is one of dozens in the robotic beings, however the sheer complexity of the Syntek anatomy makes it impossible for traditional doctors to treat Syntek as they would humans.

A mechanic, specifically an engineer focusing in the area would be best suited to the task - making injury to Syntek an expensive and time-consuming problem. Hospitals are generally not equipped to handle Syntek repairs, instead a sector for Syntek specific repair shops has been growing to meet the need.

Androgyny

The early-stage Syntek often held no gender-specific characteristics. At a time when functionality was more important than personality characteristics these Synteks were blank droids built to mimic the humanoid frame. Effectively none of these early-stage Syntek are capable of sentience.

The generation of Syntek best recognized for sentience sports more personality features than any other and as such are built with gender specific characteristics. These are cosmetic designs built in to make human interaction with Syntek more natural. Something about the early-stage Syntek which held no gender upset a large number of people who never knew how to properly address the individual. Thanks to these gender characteristics Syntek are applicable in a far-wider market than before.

Interestingly a Syntek that elected could undergo the expensive process of switching gender characteristics. They would suffer no ill-effects from this process so long as their minds could handle a role shift of that magnitude.